Baking & Snack - May 2007 - 110

An important issue yet to be settled is
enrichment of whole-wheat flour, particularly the ultra-fine-milled white wholewheat flour used to make today's very
popular new whole-grain, whole-wheat
breads, observed Steve Schorn, corporate
technical director, Research Products Co.
"While the government has not yet stated
its position or moved on the enrichment
of whole-wheat flour, we do have some
customers adding such enrichment already without the government mandate.
They want to label their foods as enriched,
so they went ahead with it."
Vitamin D illustrates another aspect of
fortification moving beyond conventional patterns, according to Patrick Clark,
vice-president, sales and marketing,
Research Products Co. Studies reported
at the 2006 annual meeting of AACC International showed excellent health benefits from fortifying bread with vitamin
D in combination with calcium. Neither
nutrient is currently mandatory, although
calcium has been optional since enrichment started in 1943.
"Calcium will always be of major interest, especially as (a growing number of)
studies prove the benefits for everything
from weight loss to osteoporosis reduction," Ms. Russell said. "Potassium and
magnesium are also mineral enrichments
that should be given careful consideration." Phosphates, she explained, can
deliver these added mineral nutrients in
a healthy and beneficial way.
Cutting-edge fortification, as described
by Mr. Morris, involves materials such as
isoflavones, phytosterols and vitamin
E. "There is some interest in the market
in putting isoflavones in bread to support a cholesterol-reduction heart health
claim," he said. "With phytosterols, you
only need 0.4 g to make the heart claim.
With vitamin E, 300 IU equals 100% of the
daily RDI for this vitamin." Such fortification levels are doable.
Tate & Lyle's R&D team in Decatur, IL,
took a different approach by developing
a range of formulating slants it terms the
Enrich solution sets. "These can include
not just vitamins and minerals but also fibers and other materials," explained Doris Dougherty, senior food scientist, Tate

ᮣ A new cracker "platform" enriches
the formulation with probiotics and prebiotics, using bifidobacteria, inulin, resistant starch and soluble corn fiber.
Tate & Lyle

116 / BAKING & SNACK / May 2007

& Lyle, Decatur, IL. In fact, the Sandwich
Cracker ENRICH contains probiotics, live
cultures of beneficial bacteria, in the filling along with 6 g per serving of prebiotic
fiber to satisfy the Digestive Health and
Immunity platform. Another solution set,
Cereal Bar ENRICH, uses whey protein
and fiber to improve satiety, a benefit directed at weight management.
Both applications were driven by
market need, according to Ms. Dougherty. "We conducted consumer research
around these platforms," she said. "(Food
companies) recognize the high level of
consumer interest."
Fortification is also moving into the
arena of qualified health claims, typically made for dietary supplements but
gaining interest among food formulations. As a result, fortification becomes
more specific and focused on the application, according to Mr. Jonas. "Consider glucose control," he said. "That's
the description used rather than 'lower
glycemic.' Another focus is appetite suppression. Heart health is the leader now
(in fortification supplementation), but
there's also bone health, gut health, satiety, even memory improvement."

THE WHY FACTOR
Health-conscious consumers show high
interest in fortified and supplemented
foods, but public health policy provides
the basic motivation. "The main reason
to add micronutrients, especially to staple foods, is to prevent massive nutrient
deficiency diseases," stated PJF de Vries,
senior nutritionist, Health & Nutrition
Competency Center, CSM, Diemen, The
Netherlands. Yet food availability and
dietary intake pattern have changed dramatically since fortification was first introduced in the mid-20th century.
"In addition, scientific knowledge

about nutrition and health has increased
dramatically," Mr. de Vries said. "Still,
micronutrient suboptimal intake levels
in populations of developed countries
are prevalent and are even potentially increasing due to the changed dietary habits. There is increasing concern that high
intakes of added sugars might compromise intakes of micronutrients."
He identified the elderly as needing
special attention because they have
decreased energy needs yet sustained
needs for micronutrients. Others considered to be at risk for lower-thanoptimal micronutrient intake include
adolescents and women.
Mr. de Vries cautioned, however, that
overfortification must be avoided. "First,
most micronutrients have an upper tolerable level that should not be exceeded,"
he said. "Second, nutrition is a matter of
balance. Carefully chosen additions of
micronutrients to foods may help to reach
and/or maintain this delicate balance."
For products outside the federal Standards of Identity for enriched foods, the
decision about whether or not to fortify
is up to the food processor, the baker.
"The (processors) will need to decide
for themselves whether to fortify and at
what level - 10% of the Recommended
Daily Allowance (RDA), 25%, 100%?"
said Mr. Morris. "Enrichment ingredients are expensive. So, ask yourself,
'What is the target market? What are
you trying to achieve? Is it to make a
health claim, or to just look better than
the competitor?'" He said ADM is seeing
a number of fortification applications at
the low range of inclusion.

BEST SUITED
Fortification works better in some foods
than others. The ready-to-eat breakfast
cereal category was an early adopter.

Baking & Snack - May 2007

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